The Associated Press did its own “analysis” only to discover that though tea party activists can get crowds together, there is no indication the movement will have any real impact. But in their efforts to understand and predict the results of all the protests, the writer misses the real point. One tea partier quoted says, “We’re regular people who are p—ed off at our government — period, end of story,” says Ralph Sprovier an organizer from Illinois. “Defend us, don’t spend more than we have, get the budget balanced and listen to what we say.” The last statement is the most crucial, how do politicians “hear” what the public wants? Through elections. If the tea party really wants to have an impact – and it may be that those who attend the rallies understand this much better than those who cover the rallies – electing new officials will go a long way toward effecting real change in government policy.